Entertainment and athletic apparatus for the use of children



Jan. 21, 1930. 1,744,594

ENTERTAINMENT AND ATHLETIC APPARATUS FOR THE USE O CHILDREN F. F. TRZESNIEWSKI Filed Feb. 18

2:4 WI/Ema;

INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 21, 1939 UNETEE STATES PATENT ()FFEfiE FRANK F. TRZESNIEWSKI, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN Application filed February 18, 1929. Serial No. 340,710[

The invention relates to structures designed primarily for the purpose of amusing and entertaining children, and at the same time putting within their reach a variety of devices which will enable them to follow certain of the natural acrobatic and athletic impulses in which they are prone to indulge whenever opportunity is presented.

The invention resides in a compact, port- 0 able apparatus of comparatively simple construction, it having a variety of features contributing to this end, and it has been found in actual practice to be a source of much happiness and benefit to the children who have participated in the occupations and diversions which it provides.

The invention is embodied in a house of open skeleton construction, provided with a removable floor and a roof, the latter serving as a shield or deflector, and is equipped with a sand box arranged under the floor, a

suspended punching bag or other bag, trapeze, rings, swing, fixed horizontal bar, and other devices of like nature and purpose.

The details of construction will now be particularly described, and the novelty residing in the invention wil be pointed out in the claims appended to this specification.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. V

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through the base of the structure, illustrating particularly the arrangement of the removable fioor and the sand box underneath the same.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one upper corner of the structure illustrating the construction of roof framing, arrangement of the ceiling, and other details.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the ceiling, showing the manner of suspending the punching bag or other bag.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5, Fig. l,

showing the preferred manner of supporting the horizontal'bar.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing one form of sand box which may be used.

In the drawing, the numeral 10 indicates two longitudinally extending plates, tied near their ends by two transverse bars 11, to form a base for the structure, with a ractangular opening in the bottom thereof. The faces of the plates 10 and cross bars 11, should lie in the same horizontal plane. A batten floor 12 is fitted in the opening in the base. The said floor is removable fromits closed position so as to afford access to a sand box 13, positioned immediately under the opening. In closed position, the removable floor may be supported upon the sand box, or otherwise, as. desired. Viewing the right hand side in Fig. 1 as the front, the floor 12 may be hinged to the plate 10 at the back, so that the floor will be an attached part of the structure, but may be turned on its hinges and thrown back, so as to open the sand box.

Rising from the base, and attached thereto at the intersections of the plates and cross bars, are four tubular, metal, corner posts 14, which support the roof structure. At each of their ends, the posts 14 are provided with fixed sockets 15, by means of which a durable attachment of the roof to the base is secured. A roof completes the skeleton of the playhouse structure, the roof being composed of stringers 16, extending in parallelism with the base plates 10, and cross bars 17, in suitable number, extended between the opposite roof stringers 16 to tie the latter together, and prevent collapse of the roof. The sockets 15 at the upper. ends of the posts 14, meet the roof structure at the angles formed by the conjunction of the stringers 16 and cross bars 17. Rafters 18, with their outer ends attached to the opposite stringers 16, converge near the longitudinal central line of the roof, so as to support a ridge 19, and impart sloping sides to the roof. It is desirable that the roof be provided with additional fixed stringers 20, resting upon and supported by the several cross bars 17, to stabilize the roof structure and sustain the weight suspended therefrom. The parts 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20, of the roof structure may be conveniently formed of small angle irons, possessing the required feature of strength and also the desired feature of lightness. The roof sheathing or covering may be of any suitable material which will serve as a shield or deflector, and for this purpose I found a sheet of heavy canvas, the valance 21 of which is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to be satisfactory.

The ends of the plates 10 and of the cross bars 11, are extended beyond their points of intersection, for the purpose of enabling the skeleton structure to be braced eXteriorly, and so leave the interior space defined by the posts 14, and opening at the sides and ends, entirely clear from obstruction, such as would act to interfere with the arrangement and free use of the devices with which the play-house is equipped. Inclined tierods22 are attached by bolts passing through eyes at their lower ends, or otherwise, to the projecting ends of the plateslO and cross bars 11, outwardly of and at some distance from the posts, and are connected at their upper ends to the posts 14, just below the roof. The lower ends of the said tie rods are set quartering with respect to the axes of the posts, there being two tie-rods associated with each of the four posts. The upper ends of each pair of tie-rods are conveniently brought into engagement with the post at opposite sides, and secured in that relation by a bolt 23, passed through eyes in the upper ends of the tie-rods, and through an aligned perforation in the post. The tierods 22 may be placed under tension, and the skeleton structure trued up and stabilized, by turn-buckles 24, interposed in the length of the tie-rods. As so constructed, the skeleton play-house is readily portable, and may be easily moved from within to out of doors, or vice versa.

The skeleton play-house may be ceiled or partially ceiled, as at 25, so as to provide a back stop for a punching bag 26. To effect the suspension of the punching bag, I fix to the ceiling 25, a plate 27, having a threaded socket into which may be entered a threaded plug 28, attached to one end of the flexible connection 29 of the punching bag.

By unscrewing the plug, the punching bag may be removed, if the space occupied by it be desired for other activities, or it may be replaced by a suspended sand bag or dummy, supported from the socketed plate 27, in the manner just described.

The posts 1 L at one end of the structure are perforated through one wall at points opposite to each other, so as to receive the ends of a horizontal bar 30, installed to meet the purposes of such bars. In the construction shown, the ends of the bar 30 are reduced in diameter, and provided with shoulders which abut the posts 1a in the region of the perforations therein. The bar 30 will be placed in position during the assembly of the structure, and when the latter is completed, will occupy and remain as a fixed part of the structure, but may be adjusted as to vertical position very easily.

The bar 30 may be used for various activities. From it, may be suspended a swing seat 31.

The cross bars 17 at each end of the roof structure are each provided with a plurality of attached eyes 32. Two of the eyes 32 in the front cross bar, may receive hooks attached to chains, at the free end of which rings 33 are attached, or hooks of chains supporting a swinging cross bar or trapeze. Selected eyes in both cross bars may receive hooks atached to chains supporting a swinging seat, such as is shown in phantom in Fig. 1.

The changeable elements described may be positioned for use, and may be removed or replaced by others, according to the fancy of the children using the play-house, as desired by them. When the floor is in closed position, the sand box is not accessible, but at such times the floor constitutes the base of operations for the other activities indulged in by the users of the apparatus. The construction shown may be varied and still be within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A childrens entertainment and athletic apparatus, comprising a skeleton playhouse equipped with devices affording activities and diversions, including a sand box arranged in the base of the play-house, a floor covering the sand box but removable to permit access thereto, the said floor when in covering position constituting a base upon which the children may stand while participating in other activities and diversions afforded by the structure.

2. A childrens entertainment and'athletic apparatus equipped with devices aifording activities and diversions, such apparatus comprising a base formed of intersecting plates and cross bars, the ends of which project beyond the intersections, posts secured at the intersections, a roof supported on the posts, and outer straining rods connecting the said projecting ends with the posts near the upper ends of the latter, whereby stability of the structure is secured and the sides and ends thereof are left open and free.

3. A childrens entertainment and athletic apparatusequipped with devices afiording activities and diversions, such apparatus comprising a base formed of intersecting plates and cross bars, the ends of which project beyond the intersections, posts secured at the intersections, a roof supported on the posts, and outer straining rods arranged at an angle and connecting the said projecting ends with the upper part of the structure, whereby stability of the structure is secured and the iides and ends thereof are left open and res.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name at Milwaukee, this 30th day of J anuary, 1929.

FRANK F. TRZESNIEWSKI. 

